Munster hand French a lesson

By Brendan Gallagher in Paris

5:59PM GMT 27 Jan 2002

Stade Français 14 Munster 16

THIS was one of Munster's great days, so the fairytale goes on. Very few gave them a chance going into the match - Stade are normally awesome at home and Munster had hardly looked world beaters at Castres in their final pool game - but somehow Mick Galwey inspired another special effort.

The 3,000 travelling fans also played their part, especially during a backs-to-the-wall second half. On the final whistle, they invaded the pitch and chaired Galwey and Peter Stringer off, a process that took fully half an hour. Nobody wanted to leave.

"The fans made all the difference, they kept us going," Galwey said. "This victory is theirs as much as the players. We did it together."

This was the battle-hardened performance of a side who have been mixing it with Europe's best for a while now. In fact, Munster have reached the Heineken semi-finals three years in succession.

They are cool under pressure, disciplined in defence, brave and committed in the tackle and here they possessed the courage of their convictions to play with the ball in hand when they turned into a howling gale after half-time.

Munster never took a backward step in an intensely physical game but they were smart and streetwise. In the first half, playing with the howling wind, they quickly worked out that even Diego Dominguez could not kick successfully in such conditions and were happy to concede penalties. They also knew the importance of building a cushion, Ronan O'Gara kicking his goals and Anthony Horgan zipping through for a smart try. They turned around 16-3 up. Was it enough?

In the second half, with Dominguez a threat from well inside his own half, Munster again read the conditions perfectly and scarcely gave him a sniff. It was a remarkably disciplined performance and if John Kelly could have converted one cast iron chance and Horgan, on the other wing, clung on to a Stringer pass they would have won at a canter.

Heroes everywhere. Stringer, injured for the last month and supposedly lacking match fitness, had another of those games which makes his exclusion form last summer's Lions tour even more mystifying. He is the best distributor in the game and there was another of his trademark last ditch tackles to savour, this time on Frank Comba as the France centre scythed through.

John Hayes had an immense match, taking on Peter Clohessy's role as minder as well as making his usual contribution around the pitch. After concerted attacks in the French press all week - remarkable considering he was the wronged party at Castres a fortnight ago when Ismael Lassissi allegedly bit him - Clohessy was a marked man. He played his hand perfectly, though, by concentrating on his scrummaging and contributing one spectacular 40-yard burst in the second half.

David Wallace was another who had an immense game, showing a relish for the hard yards as well as the more eye-catching bursts which are his speciality. His performance epitomised the entire effort. Munster will be hard to stop now.